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Thanks to the Kośmider family for letting me and my wife share our feelings about a great human being who will always be remembered in Poland, Europe and the world

Dear family members, friends and colleagues of very much loved and respected Tomasz Kośmider,

We are speaking here today, because we were fortunate to have spent quality time (professionally and personally) with Tomasz, his son Przemek and friends from Technology Partners. For this reason, we were asked to be the voice of many European colleagues who are with us in spirit; especially those from Knowledge4Innovation, of which Tomasz was Vice President.

Without any doubts, we can say that Tomasz transformed many lives.
The extent of his legacy is yet to be written and told in years to come.
We will always remember him as a warm man full of vitality and wisdom.
Someone who was equally determined and successful in building bridges.
Bridges enabling cross-sector and cross-border innovations and aspirations.

His positive attitude helped him find opportunities in barriers and challenges.
His dynamism, enthusiasm and humour were equally addictive and contagious.
His creativity, leadership and determination often translated into shared visions.
His kindness and compassion allowed him to make a difference and in a kind way. Tomasz could see bright and promising futures for Poland and Europe in many ways.

Science may never explain why humans exist and whether there is life after life.
For this reason, we would like to share our own, yet transferable philosophy of life. We do not consider physical departure from our body as ‘death’ or the end of a journey. People’s wonderful and unique spirit shall be relaunched into new dimensions fuelled by our energy. Therefore, we invite you to empower Tomasz with your best thoughts, memories and lessons learned.

Less than a month ago my wife (Monika) and I had the privilege to spend quality time with Tomasz Kośmider – a great human being capable of warming up the atmosphere of social networking and business meetings with inspiring out-of-the-box yet still down-to-earth innovative ideas. During our very intense and productive trip to Peru we discussed over a dozen ways of strengthening the Polish and European innovation landscape and he was a strong believer that a very bright and promising future was in the horizon for Poland’s science, technology and innovation system.

His sudden departure on Saturday 29th of July was both unexpected and frustrating since it is not easy to find a man like Tomasz with the endless creativity, remarkable dynamism and strong determination to make things happen. My sadness is certainly shared by over a thousand people and organisations he has helped and shaped with his professional and interpersonal skills, which made him such a unique and wonderful character. Several colleagues from around Europe and other parts of the world have also expressed their sorrow and admiration for Tomasz, who was regarded by Jos Leijten as someone ‘determined to make a difference and in a very kind way’, by Wolfgang Polt as ‘a lively advocate of the cause of innovation and above all a very nice person’, by Torsti Loikkanen as ‘very positive, warm spirit and intelligent’ and by Robbert Fisher as ‘not only a great colleague but also a warm friend. Inspired with a vision, and capable of pursuing what he believed in despite set backs and barriers’. As more people become aware of his departure I believe we will learn more about the real extent of his legacy. For now, I would simply like to share a few pictures that capture great moments we spent together. We will always remember him for his vitality, audacity and ingenuity to recognise opportunities for a wide range of Polish innovation stakeholders.

Obviously, among the most remarkable legacies of a man are his family and network of friends and beloved ones. We feel very fortunate to have met his son Przemek Kośmider with whom we shared both professional and personal moments. We send our condolences to the whole Kośmider family and all the people who like us will always remember Tomasz and his wonderful energy.